Integral video game and cardio-waveform display

ABSTRACT

A video game which incorporates a video game player&#39;s cardio-waveform into the video display and integrates the wave-form with the activities of the video game being played. A cardio-waveform sensor is attached to a video game player. The sensor produces a signal which is transmitted to an input interface of a micro-processor. A joystick or other control system which enables a player to control the play of the video game is also attached to the input interface of the micro-processor. The micro-processor produces a display signal dependant on the signal&#39;s generated from the joystick and cardio-waveform sensor. The player&#39;s cardio-waveform is also displayed on the video display and is incorporated into the activities of the game being played. In one embodiment the cardio-waveform represents a boundary which confines the activities of a roaming icon.

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of previously filedapplication Ser. No. 08/594,229 filed on Jan. 31, 1996, now U.S. Pat.No. 5,672,107.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a video game, and more particularlya video game which integrates a players cardio-waveform(Electrocardiogram ECG!) into the display of the video game being playedand is incorporated into the activities of the game itself.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Recent developments in computer technology have generated an explosionof video games to be played on personal computers and dedicated computergame systems to be played on home television systems. An abundance ofdiverse video games have been developed in the past twenty years.However, none of the video games of the prior art have integrated avideo player's cardio-waveform into the video game being played.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,362,069 and Reissue 34,728 each disclose an exercisedevice comprising a video game wherein the signal representing the heartrate of the player affects the level of play of the video game and areincorporated herein by reference. However, these references fail todisclose a means to display the player's cardio-waveform nor do theyincorporate this wave-form into the play of the video game.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,095 to Lapeyre discloses an exercise monitoringsystem and is herein incorporated by reference. Lapeyre '095 disclosesan exercise device which simply numerically displays a person's heartrate on a TV monitor. Lapeyre '095 does not incorporate a video game nordoes it display or integrate a cardio-waveform.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,009 discloses an apparatus for displaying a timevarying waveform and is herein incorporated by reference. This referencediscloses an apparatus to display a generic time varying wave-form,including a person's cardio-waveform. However, it does not involve avideo game.

German Offenlegungschrift 2,822,434 discloses an exercise device whereinan exerciser's cardio-waveform is superimposed over a video display of avideo tape or television broadcast. German '434 does not disclose avideo game or the incorporation of a persons cardio-waveform into avideo game.

The prior art does not disclose the integration of a cardio-waveforminto the play of a video game, nor even the display of a person'scardio-waveform on a video game screen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus according to the present invention comprises a computervideo game which incorporates a player's cardio-waveform into the videodisplay and effects the activities of the video game itself. Aconventional computer video game system is provided comprising amicro-processor based control system, a joystick or other manual controlsystem and a video display system. A cardio-waveform sensor is alsoprovided to sense a player's electrocardio waveform. This sensor isattached to a player's body, either independently or in conjunction withthe game controls, and produces an electrical signal indicative of theplayer's cardio-waveform. This signal is transmitted to the inputinterface to enable processing by the micro-processor. Themicro-processor uses the signal from the cardio sensor and joystick togenerate and transmit signals to a video controller. These signalsadjust the play of the video game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the video game device according to theinvention with cardio-waveform and controller input devices.

FIG. 2 is a representation of the video display illustrating the displayof the time-varying cardio-waveform.

FIG. 3 is a representation of the video display illustrating the displayof the time varying cardio-waveform and a video game of the firstembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a representation of the video display illustrating the displayof the time-varying cardio-waveform of increased frequency.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram a two player video game device according to analternate embodiment of the claimed invention.

FIGS. 6a and 6b are a representation of a two player video displayillustrating an alternative embodiment of the claimed invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the video game device according to theinvention with a telecommunications device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video display 1, audio/video controller2, a micro-processor 3, input interface 4, manual joystick control 6,and cardio-waveform sensor 5. Cardio-waveform sensor 5, is attached tothe video game player in a suitable portion of the player's body such asthe chest area or on the inside area of the player's wrist. Thepreferred method of attaching the cardio-waveform sensor to the player'sbody is to the player's wrist where the wave-form sensor 5 is embeddedin a wrist band which is simply wound around the player's wrist andsecured by Velcro™ or the like. In an alternate embodiment, the sensor5, is integrally formed with the manual control device 6 such that theplayer's cardio-waveform is sensed by simple physical contact betweenthe player's hands and the controls. This embodiment relieves thenecessity of having a separate dedicated connection to the player'sbody.

The cardio-waveform sensor 5 can be of any type of the well knownsensors which send signals to a conventional Electro-Cardiogram (ECG).The cardio-waveform sensor 5 sends a signal, representative of the videogame player's cardio-wave-form, to input interface 4. In an alternateembodiment of the invention, the cardio-waveform sensor 5 is aconventional heart rate monitor. A video game player's heart rate issensed and a signal representative thereof is sent to the inputinterface 4. In this alternate embodiment, a cardio-waveform or otherpictorial representation is generated by the microprocessor based on, ortriggered by the player's heart rate.

The input interface 4 also receives a signal from a manual controldevice 6. The manual control device 6 can be a joystick or otherconventional video game control device which generates a signal inresponse to a player's physical movements. The input interface thensends a composite signal to the microprocessor 3 indicative of both theplayer's cardio-waveform and physical manipulation of the control device6.

The micro-processor processes the signal sent from the input interfaceand incorporates the cardio-waveform signal into the particularcharacteristics and activities of the video game being played. Themicroprocessor then generates an audio and a video signal which are sentto an audio/video controller 2. The audio/video controller 2 then sendsa display signal to a video display which displays the video game. Awave-form 7 is displayed which not only represents the players timevarying cardio-waveform but represents various characteristics of thevideo game being played as well. The audio/video controller also sendsan audio signal to a speaker to produce sound. If the video game is tobe played on a home television, a combined audio/video signal is sent tothe television as conventionally found in the art.

In the alternate embodiment where the video player's heart rate issensed, the microprocessor 3 generates a cardio-waveform 7 based on, ortriggered by the signal representative of the heart rate.Cardio-waveforms of humans have inherent generic features. The heartrate is simply a measurement of the frequency of a person'scardio-waveform. By knowing the inherent generic features of the humancardio-waveform, both the amplitude and shape of a waveformrepresentative of a human cardio-waveform can be generated. The inherentgeneric features of a human's cardio-waveform can be stored in themicroprocessor's read only memory along with algorithms to calculate ahuman cardio-waveform. Once the heart rate is sensed, the microprocessorsimply generates a wave-form indicative of a cardio-waveform. Thus, awaveform representative of a human cardio-waveform can be generated bysimply sensing the player's heart rate.

FIG. 3 represents one embodiment of the claimed invention wherewave-form 7 represents a boundary which confines the activities of aroaming icon 8. Icon 8 can be of any type such as a space vehicle whichmust shoot obstacles 9 in its path or be destroyed. The movement of icon8 is controlled by the manual control 6. In the even that the icon 8collides with the wave-form 7, the icon is also destroyed. FIG. 4represents the same video game as depicted in FIG. 3, however the waveform 7 has increased frequency. In the event that the players heart rateincreases, due to increased challenges of the video game for example,the frequency of the player's wave-form will accordingly increase. Thisincreased frequency will inherently provide less room for the roamingicon 8 to maneuver as the distance between the wave peaks is decreased.This will inherently pose an additional challenge to the player.

In an alternate embodiment of the claimed invention, the cardio-waveformcan be altered to represent variations of the player's cardio-waveform.In one embodiment the frequency and amplitude of the waveform peaks canbe increased or decreased to change the difficulty level of the gamebeing played. The waveform displayed can vary from a pure representationof the player's cardio-waveform to a wave-form which is merely afunction of the player's cardio-wave form and thus altered by theparticular characteristics a specific game to be played.

FIG. 5, and FIGS. 6a, 6b represent an alternative embodiment of theclaimed invention. FIG. 5 represents a two player game where each playercontrols a joystick or other conventional control device 6a, 6b. Eachplayer also is provided with a cardio waveform sensor 5a, 5b. In thevideo game of this embodiment each player is provided with a videodisplay 10a, 10b which displays their opponent's cardio waveform andtheir roaming icon 8. The object of the game is to shoot the otherplayer's wave form until it is flatlined or destroyed to below athreshold level. Each player maneuvers their respective icon to shootand destroy the opponent's wave-form. In the event one player issuccessful in flatlining the opponent's wave-form the other player iskilled. In the event that one player is flatlined the microprocessor cangenerate an audio signal indicative of a flat tone sound oftenassociated with warning sounds found on heart rate monitors which soundan alarm when a person's heart stops.

The video game of the claimed invention may either be a self containedgame system to be displayed on a conventional television unit or acomputer game to be played on a personal computer. In the embodiment ofthe self contained system, it is preferred that the input interface 4,microprocessor 3 and video controller 2 are all housed in a singleconsole. Signals are transmitted to the input interface 4 via the manualcontrol 6 and the cardio waveform sensor 5. The video controller thengenerates a signal capable of being displayed on a conventionaltelevision unit. In the personal computer embodiment, the signals fromthe manual control device 6, and the cardio-waveform sensor 5, are sentto the input interface which then send corresponding signals to themicroprocessor of the computer through the computer's serial port. Thesignals are then manipulated by appropriate software and the video gameis displayed by the computers video controller.

The video game of the claimed invention, may also be provided with adiagnostic mode. When the diagnostic mode is selected the sensedcardio-waveform of the player is displayed in an unaltered form. Thisdisplay affords the player an opportunity to view their cardio-waveformand functions much like a conventional ECG. Information representativeof normal readings may be stored in the read only memory (ROM) of themicroprocessor to provide a comparative normal cardio-waveform fromwhich to compare to the player's sensed cardio-waveform. In oneembodiment the player's sensed wavefrom may be superimposed over thepermanently stored normal waveform to facilitate diagnosis ofirregularities in a player's cardio-waveform. In another embodiment, thevideo game can be provided with an output to send the sensed signal,representative of the player's cardio-waveform, to a telecommunicationsdevice 13 to then be transmitted to a remote device 14 for remoteviewing on a remote display 15. In the event that a player selfdiagnoses an irregular cardio-waveform, the player may send the signalto a physician for a remote evaluation and accurate diagnosis. Suchdevices have currently been integrated into conventional ECGs but havenot been integrated into a video game system.

The cardio-waveform 7 can be integrated into an infinite number of typesof video games limited only by the creativity of a video gameprogrammer. In an infinite number of different embodiments, the sensedwaveform can be manipulated to represent a landscape or other boundaryfrom which a player's icon, an opponents icon or other icon musttraverse, or depict a surface on which a player must try to maneuver anicon against. In the embodiment where the video game is alteredaccording to the frequency of a player's sensed cardio wave-form,indicative of a heart rate, the rate at which an opponents fuel orammunition is replenished, the rate of an opponent's attack or otherrates may be directly controlled in proportion to the sensed frequency.It is the primary purpose of the claimed invention to integrate aplayer's cardio waveform into the display and the activity of the videogame itself. While the video game of this invention has been shown anddescribed with reference to a particular embodiments, it will beunderstood to those possessing skill in the art that various changes tothe form and detail may be made therein without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A video game having particular characteristics tobe played by at least one player, said video game comprising:a controlmeans for allowing said at least one player to physically interact withsaid video game; a heart rate sensor for sensing a heart rate of atleast one player to produce a signal representative thereof; aprocessing means for generating a cardio-waveform representative of ahuman cardio-waveform dependant upon said heart rate signal, saidprocessor means integrating said generated cardio-waveform into saidparticular characteristics of said video game; a display means fordisplaying said video game and said cardio-waveform.
 2. A video gamehaving particular characteristics to be played by at least one player,said video game comprising:a control means for allowing said at leastone player to physically interact with said video game; a means forsensing the cardio-waveform of said at least one player to produce asignal representative thereof; a processing means for integrating saidsignal of said cardio-waveform into said particular characteristics ofsaid video game; a display means for displaying said particularcharacteristics of said video game with said integrated signalrepresentative of said at least one player's cardio wave-form, whereinsaid means for sensing the cardio-waveform of said at least one playercomprises:a heart rate sensor for sensing a heart rate of said at leastone player; wherein said processor means generates a waveformrepresentative of a human cardio-waveform.